Duelist Haven
by crow-kun - Knight of the Wind
Summary: Haven City. The "Dueling Capital". A city filled with the hopes and dreams of duelists all over, and home to the biggest event in the dueling world: the Haven Grand Tourney. Join Rei Shirogane and her cards as she battles, forms her bonds, and just maybe uncovers a few things about the darkness of such a hopeful place. (Hiatus as of Nov. 20, 2018)
1. Haven City, the Metropolis of Dreams

**Chapter 1 - Haven City, the Metropolis of Dreams**

(A preface before we begin. When a new important character or original card is introduced, their name will be in **bold** , followed by a short description. 'Apostrophes' signify inner thoughts, while "quotes" are dialogue. Summoning Chants and Visions will be in _italics._ )

Haven City. A place know around the world as the "Dueling Capital" or, more commonly, the "Metropolis of Dreams". A sprawling futuristic society, lit neon by the billboards and signs across the city, advertising everything from game stores to the pride of Haven, the Havenia Dueling Academy. It is at this advanced facility that the best and brightest duelists are trained in the arts of Fusion, Synchro, and XYZ Summoning Methods in hopes of creating the next World's Greatest. It's even rumoured that the headmaster himself is developing a new Summoning Method, behind the scenes...

However, this story is not about them. This story is about a young girl, a drifter in a new place, looking for greater and greater challenges. This story is about a girl enamored with the glow of the city, and who must learn that bright lights simply hide darker shadows….

0_0

 **Haven City - Central Park**

"And with that, Haven's own Cyber Micah has won his 65th consecutive duel and earned his place in the Haven Grand Tourney! Up next, we will show-" The **girl** switched off the transmission on her Duel Disk and leaned back, stretching against the bench she was sitting on.

 **Marie "Rei" Shirogane**

 **15**

 **5'**

 **Waist length, messy dirty blonde hair, topped by a short ahoge. Wears a light blue "Alice" style dress with a short black jacket on top. Also sports black knee socks and tattered black high-top sneakers. Around her neck hangs a pair of goggles, with a star on the right lens.**

"Man, what I wouldn't give to duel a star like that… 3 days in this city and there aren't any strong duelists! So much for the 'Dueling Capital'…" She sighed, thinking back on her circumstances.

0_0

 **3 Weeks Prior**

"Eh? You want me to go to Haven City?" Rei looked up at her parents in shock. "That's right. We've even arranged for you to stay with a family friend while you're there," her mother smiled at her. "B-But why? What's the special occasion?"

Her father laughed and ruffled her hair. "C'mon kid, you've beaten every duelist in town five times over. I think it's about time you broaden your horizons. They call Haven City the "Dueling Capital" for a reason y'know. With your win streak, I bet you'd even qualify for the Grand Tourney!"

Rei's eyes widened in excitement. "Really? You think so?" "Of course," her father said with a smile. "You're ready to take on the world, kiddo."

0_0

Rei sighed, emerging from her thoughts. "And yet here I am, with no one strong enough to put up a good fight." She hung her head and closed her eyes. "Rrrgh, it's just so frustrating!"

"Oh yeah? If you think there aren't strong duelists here, you're obviously looking in the wrong places. Why not try dueling us instead, missy? I'm sure we'll be plenty challenging for a girl like you."

Rei opened one eye at the group that had surrounded here. '5 guys, some kinda school uniform… Wait, HDA?' She blinked a few times. Sure enough, the school uniform the boys were wearing had the letters "HDA" sewn into the chest pocket. 'That means….'

"You're all from Havenia Academy?" She finished out loud. The boys laughed to each other as she stood up. "That's right, we're from HDA. And if you don't mind, this park is our turf, so either duel us or scram."

Rei sighed and hopped off the bench. "Haven't you heard it's not nice to harass a defenseless little girl like this?" She smiled at the group. "Why don't I teach you a few manners?"

0_0

As the last of the boys ran off defeated, she sighed and deactivated her Duel Disk. "Seriously, what kinda scum gangs up on a girl like that? And to think, they couldn't even back up their words."

"That was quite the show you put on, miss." A voice called to her.

She yelped, before turning to the voice. "W-Were you watching me then?" The boy smirked and walked over to her, speaking without really looking at her, "Yes, and I've got to say, you do have talent. What school do you attend? You've got an outdated C-Model Duel Disk(*), and I've never seen that… "uniform" before." He gestured to her clothes.

She giggled and put her hands behind her back. "I don't actually go to any dueling schools here. I'm from out of town, visiting for the tournament." The boy's kind expression turned into a sneer. "HDA students were beat by some… drifter punk?" he spat, causing Rei to back off a bit in surprise. "H-Huh?" The boy cleared his throat, regaining his composure, before saying, "Well this just won't do. It seems it lies to me to clean their messes for them yet again. Feel honored, girlie, because you're going to be beaten by **Cyber Micah** himself!"

 **Micah "Cyber Micah" Miyamoto**

 **16**

 **5'9"**

 **Stereotypical rich anime boy-styled blonde hair. Wears the Haven Dueling Academy uniform, black pants with a white dress shirt that has HDA emblazoned on the chest pocket.**

Rei's look of surprise turned into one of amazement. "You're Cyber Micah? HDA's #1?" She chuckled before smirking and activating her Duel Disk. "No way I'm turning this down. Let's go!"

"DUEL!"

MICAH: 4000

REI: 4000

"I'll go first! I play my Cyber Dragon Zwei, in Attack!" Micah summoned his first monster, and the metallic serpent appeared in front of him. "Then, I set one face-down and end my turn."

"Alright! I draw! Come out, Defender, the Magical Knight, in Attack mode! Then I place a face-down! Now Defender, strike down his dragon!"

MICAH: 4000 - 3900

"Alright! Now I end my turn!"

Micah glared at the girl. "Tch. I draw! Now, since you have a monster and I don't, I can Special Summon Cyber Dragon from my hand!" Another dragon, slightly different in appearance, came onto the field. "Now I can Normal Summon another monster. So, I choose my Cyber Dragon Drei!" A third different dragon was summoned. "Now, thanks to Drei's effect, I can make all Cyber Dragons Level 5! So I Overlay my now level 5 Drei with Level 5 Cyber Dragon, in order to XYZ Summon! _Come, mechanical dragon of blazing flame! XYZ Summon! Rank 5, Cyber Dragon Nova!_ " A black cybernetic dragon, covered in red fire-like lights, appeared on the field. "How's that for a monster?" Micah declared, arrogantly.

Rei laughed in response. "Not much,thanks to my face-down! I activate the trap Dark Renewal! When my opponent Normal or Special summons a monster, I can target it and a Spellcaster I control, and then destroy them both! Say goodbye to your XYZ Monster!" Cyber Dragon Nova and Defender both disappeared to the Graveyard.

"Good job, girlie, but you missed a spot!" Rei looked up in shock. "W-What?" "When a card effect sends Nova to the graveyard, I can Special Summon a Machine Fusion Monster in my Extra Deck! And I summon my ace - Cyber Twin Dragon!" Micah laughed as a two-headed Cyber Dragon spawned on his side of the field. "Impressive," Rei shouted at him, "but not impressive enough! Dark Renewal also lets me summon a DARK Spellcaster from my Deck! So come on out, Xiangke Magician! And thanks to his effect, I can negate a LIGHT monster's effect! So no double-attacks for your dragon!"

Micah shrugged and shook his head. "Still doesn't save you. Go, Twin Dragon, and destroy her magician!" Rei winced as her Xiangke disappeared in a burst of light. 'Sorry buddy, but your sacrifice was worth it.'

REI: 4000 - 3700

"With that attack, I'll end my turn."

Rei grimaced and drew her next card. "Here goes! First, I set the Pendulum Scale with my Scale 1 Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon and my Scale 8 Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon!" Micah's eyes widened in surprise. "Pendulum?! But only elite universities teach that technique! We don't even have courses on it at HDA!" Rei smirked at his surprised expression. "Now, I can summon monsters from level 2 to 7, all at once!" She raised her hand in the air, as the sky above her glowed. "Come! Gagaga Magician, Kiwi Magician Girl, and **Odd-Eyes Magician Girl**!" With Gagaga Magician and Kiwi Magician Girl, another magician appeared, wearing garb that resembled an Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

 **Odd-Eyes Magician Girl**

 **Level 7**

 **Spellcaster**

 **DARK**

 **2200 ATK**

 **1700 DEF**

"My Magician Girl's effect lets me add one Pendulum Monster from my deck to my hand. So I add my Nobledragon Magician, and proceed to Normal Summon it as well!" Rei snapped her fingers. "Now here's where the fun starts! First, I activate my Gagaga Magician's effect to make him a level 7! Then, I overlay him with my Magician Girl to XYZ Summon! _Frozen dragon with the different eyes, come forth and show us your grand might! XYZ Summon! Rank 7, Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon!_ "

The sky grew dark, and from the ground roze up a dragon with scales of ice. It let out a roar, and faced Micah.

"Now, I tune my Level 3 Nobledragon to my Level 5 Kiwi Magician Girl! Let's go! _Behold, as the cosmos creates a monster of galactic might! Behold as I Synchro Summon the Stardust Dragon!_ "

With a mighty roar, Stardust Dragon descended from the heavens to take its place at Rei's side. "Scared yet, mister high and mighty? Well you should be! I attack with my Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon, sacrificing it to take your Twin Dragon down!" Micah swept his hand to the side, revealing his face-down. "Not if Mirror Force has anything to say about it! Sayonara, dragons!" A huge explosion burst out of the card, but when the dust cleared, Absolute Dragon was still standing. Stardust Dragon, however, was gone. "B-What? I don't understand!"

Rei snapped her fingers. "Stardust's effect! I can sacrifice it in order to negate an effect that destroys monsters I control. The attack goes through! Go, Absolute Dragon!" Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon latched on to the Cyber Dragon, freezing both of them together. After a second, they both shattered. "Now, Absolute Dragon's effect activates. When it gets sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon an Odd-Eyes monster from my Extra Deck! And I summon my Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon!" A red, fiery version of the Odd-Eyes appeared in front of her. "And when he's Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a monster in my Pendulum Zone! So I choose Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon!" A black dragon with crystals protruding from it joined Meteorburst on the field. "Now, with no cards, you can't protect yourself! Go, my lovely dragons! Attack him directly! Odd-Eyes Twin Spiral Wrath!"

Micah was launched back by the force of the attack, landing face-down a few feet back.

MICAH: 3900 - 0

DUEL END

WINNER: REI

The girl crouched down next to the defeated man, with a joyful expression on her face. "There, that should teach you a thing or two about picking on girls." She stood up, walking away with a bounce in her step. "Some star he was," she muttered, before wandering off.

0_0

 **3 Hours Later**

After wandering around the city, Rei stood outside a building, a scrap of paper in her hand. "This is supposed to be where that 'family friend' lives, but anyway you look at it…" She exhaled sharply and glanced around. "This is obviously just an alleyway bar!"

A chuckle from behind her made her jump slightly. "Heh, well with that kinda reaction you must he the kid." She turned to see a man who looked to be in his early twenties with scruffy brown hair and stubble, clad in a bartender's outfit. He held out his hand to her. "Rei, right? Your folks told me you'd be in soon. Name's Kyo, and I own this 'alleyway bar' here." Rei blushed slightly and shook his hand. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to insult your place. It's just… not what I was expecting?" Kyo laughed again. "Hey, no biggie. It ain't the prettiest, or the most popular, but it helps me get by. Come on in, I'll show ya your room," he said, opening the door and gesturing for her to follow.

"I own the first two floors of this building, which just happen to be connected. I've got a couple spare rooms I rent out to people, but they're all empty right now so take your pick." He leaned against the bar coutertop, looking at her. Rei bowed slightly, then went upstairs to put her luggage in a room. When she came back down, he was sitting at the bar drinking a can of beer. "S-So…" she stuttered out, "how d-do you know my p-parents?"

Kyo chuckled again and took a swig from his can. "Let's just say I owe your old man for a favor i did him a couple years ago while they were in town." She tilted her head with a quizzical expression on her face. "My parents have… been here?" Kyo laughed this time, not bothering to restrain it to a chuckle. "Been here? The rocked this city! It was the Grand Tourney, five or six years ago if i remember right. They made it to the finals, only to be beat down by a teached from HDA."

Rei stared at him, awestruck. "W-Woah… I never knew that about them!" She bounced on her feet, smiling. "Well! This year, I'll finish what they started!" Kyo looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Well you certainly sound confident." "Of course," she said, putting her hands on her hips triumphantly, "I already beat HDA's number 1 duelist, after all."

It was Kyo's turn to be shocked. "You beat Cyber Micah? No joke? How?" Rei spun on her heels and winked, snapping her finger. "A girl's gotta have secrets! Why don't you just wait til the tournament, then I can show you what I'm all about!" She giggled to herself before running upstairs, shutting her room door behind her.

Kyo chuckled again, downing the rest of his can. 'Interesting kid you've left me with, you old geezer.'

0_0

 **Havenia Duel Academy - Headmaster's Office**

"Please, sir, give me another chance!"

The man behind the desk slammed his fist down on it. "Enough, Miyamoto! Not only did you lose in public, it was to a girl not registered under any school! The way I see it, you aren't worthy to work under project L-1."

Micah slumped in his chair, distraught. "Please, Headmaster. I'll do anything for another chance."

The headmaster placed his fingertips together. "Well… I suppose there is something I could ask of you." Micah's head shot up, a hopeful expression on his face. The headmaster slid a few cards across the desk to his young student. "Take these, find that girl again, and this time do NOT lose to her."

Upon looking at the cards, Micah's face grew into a twisted grin. "Of course, Headmaster."

0_0

(*)"C Model" Duel Disk is a name I'm giving the standard style of duel disk that Yuya uses in ARC-V. In this world it's considered outdated, whereas most use the "D Model", based off Reiji Akaba's duel disk from the early seasons of ARC-V.


	2. Legendary Dragon Versus HDA’s Number 2

**Chapter 2 - Legendary Dragon Versus HDA's #2**

A week had passed since her encounter with the Cyber Dragon duelist, Micah Miyamoto, and Rei was starting to get used to living with the bartender Kyo. She had finally settled into a routine for her day; get up, check her Duel Disk for news updates on the upcoming Grand Tourney, check her Duel Forecast, head out to the card shop down the street to get some practice in, then come back to the bar for lunch. After a couple days of her routine, Kyo offered her a job helping out at the bar at nights, in return for some extra cash to buy boosters to buff her deck.

However, the routine was abruptly halted that morning, a week into her stay.

There was a strange boy in the bar that morning. They shared a look as Rei came down the stairs, and she quickly hurried to the bar where Kyo was standing. "Hey, Kyo, who is this guy?" she whispered, glancing at the stranger, who continued to stare at her. Kyo simply shrugged and said, "I thought you knew. He asked for you by name."

Rei huffed, and walked over to the boy, hands on her hips. "So you asked for me?"

It wasn't until the boy stood up that she realized how much shorter she was that him. "W-Well? Who are you?"

The boy looked her over, then slowly nodded. "...I can feel your resolve.." Rei blinked, taken aback. "W-What?"

The boy simply stepped closer, until their faces were inches apart. Rei could feel her own heating up, but the boy remained expressionless. "Your will. It's strong. You'll go far, I feel it." The boy backed up a few steps, before handing her a blank Duel Monsters card. "Take this. I expect greatness," he muttered, before turning around and walking towards the door.

"W-Wait, who even are you?" Rei cried after him.

The boy stopped in the open doorway. "There is a legend in this world. The legend states that a long, long time ago, the world was split in four. And from each of these four worlds, came a legendary dragon. Each dragon was powerful, but only in the hands of one with strong enough resolve to wield it." The boy then turned his head, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "My name is **Itsuki**. Next time we meet, I wish to taste your resolve myself."

 **Itsuki**

 **5'10"**

 **Short, scraggy brown hair, tied back into a short ponytail. Wears jeans, a black t-shirt, and a purple button-down shirt, all buttons undone. On his arm is a battered, ancient Duel Disk(*).**

And with that, he left.

However, Rei's dumbstruck state wasn't allowed to last. She was shaken from her stupor by a beeping from her Duel Disk, indicating she had received a new message, which she decided to read out loud.

"Dear Miss Shirogane,

We at Havenia Dueling Academy have taken notice of your defeat of our star student, Micah Miyamoto, and wish to extend a challenge to you. You shall be dueling another of our top duelists, a Miss Misako Shikigami. Should you choose to accept, please be at HDA Arena 4 today, August 5th, at noon.

Regards,

HDA Dueling Committee."

Rei exchanged a glance with Kyo before grinning and running out of the bar.

0_0

 **HDA ARENA 4**

Rei stood in the presence of the HDA Dueling Committee, as well as the girl she was supposed to be dueling. "So, what is this? Didn't like that I beat your top dog so you're throwing another duelist at me?" Rei taunted, a cocky smirk on her face. "Actually," the other girl spoke, "I requested this myself. I wanted to see the power of someone who could defeat Cyber Micah, a feat even I could never hope to imagine." Rei turned toward her and raised her eyebrow. "Oh really?"

The girl nodded and bowed. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am **Misako Shikigami** , HDA's #2 duelist. I wish to battle you out of nothing but respect. You must be strong to defeat him," the girl let a small smirk grace her face, "even if he is a pompous ass."

 **Misako Shikigami**

 **16**

 **5'5"**

 **Short dark brown hair, neck length. Wears a knee length blue skirt with an oversized baggy black sweater over it.**

Rei burst out laughing at her comment. "Hey, you got that right! I think I like you already! How about this? Whoever loses treats the other to lunch!"

Misako smiled in return. "Deal."

"DUEL!"

MISAKO: 4000

REI: 4000

"I'll go first!" Rei shouted. "I summon my Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon, in attack! Then, I place a face-down and end my turn!" A green dragon with ivory armor-like pieces appeared in front of her.

"My draw," Misako stated coldly, "I summon Snipe Hunter in Attack. Then, I activate its effect. By discarding one card, I can roll a die. I destroy a card you control as long as it lands on 2 through 5." A large die appeared behind the small, purple, alien-like creature and began spinning. "Three! So with that, I destroy your Odd-Eyes!" A vortex opened beneath Mirage Dragon, swallowing it whole. "And with that, I end."

"Tch, alright, my turn!" Rei drew a card. "I'll summon my Lemon Magician Girl, and end my turn!"

Misako drew. "I summon Viser Des, in attack." Rei snapped her fingers. "Trap triggered! Dark Renewal! I can destroy your monster, as well as a Spellcaster I control, and the Special Summon a DARK Spellcaster from my deck!" Coffins closed around Lemon Magician Girl and Viser Des, dragging them into the ground. "And I choose to summon……" Rei snapped again. "My **Dark Magician**!" The dark sorcerer rose from the ground in front of her.

 **Dark Magician**

 **DARK**

 **Spellcaster**

 **Level 6**

 **2500 ATK**

 **2100 DEF**

"Now my Magician's effect activates! When he's summoned, I can Special Summon a Magician Girl from my deck! So come on out, Odd-Eyes Magician Girl!" Misako smiled. "No matter. I play a face-down and end my turn!"

"Alright, my draw again! I activate my Magician Girl's effect to add a Pendulum Monster from my deck to my hand! Then, I set the Pendulum Scale with my Scale 4 Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon and my Scale 8 Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon!" She raised her hand as the sky above began to glow. "Come, my lovely Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Rei snapped her fingers. "Now this is where the fun starts! I Overlay my two Odd-Eyes monsters! Frozen dragon with the different eyes, come forth and show us your grand might! XYZ Summon! Rank 7, Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon!" The massive icy dragon rose out of the ground in front of the girl. "Now, Absolute Dragon, destroy Snipe Hunter!" Absolute Dragon fired a blast of icy breath, decimating the tiny alien.

MISAKO: 4000 - 2700

"You've cut my live points, but I can also activate Nordic Relic Laevateinn! A monster that destroyed another monster by battle is, itself, destroyed!" Absolute Dragon shattered into pieces. "Ngh.. fine by me, because now I can directly attack you! Go, Dark Magic-" "Not quite," Misako cut her off, "because I Special Summon Battle Fader to end the Battle Phase!" Rei pouted, "Hmph. Fine, I activate Absolute Dragon's effect to Special Summon Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon, then set a face-down and end my turn!"

"My turn," Misako draws her next card, "and I play the Spells in my hand! Fissure, Hammer Shot, and Heavy Storm! Say goodbye to your field!" A massive storm enveloped Rei's field, and it was wiped clean. "I then end my turn by switching Battle Fader to defense."

Rei grimaced. "Okay, my turn! Draw! Then, I summon my Chocolate Magician Girl and activate her effect! By discarding a Spellcaster, I can draw again!" She discarded The Tricky from her hand, drawing once again. 'Skilled Dark Magician? Ugh, this doesn't help me when Dark Magician's already in the Graveyard.' "And lastly, I play Swords of Revealing Light before I end my turn!"

Misako drew her card, before smirking and declaring, "Now, I tribute my Battle Fader to summon my Memory Crush King! Of course, thanks to your Swords I can't attack, so I end my turn."

"My turn! I summon my Skilled Dark Magician!" Suddenly, a piercing pain went through Rei's mind. 'Ngh… W-What is this…. Vision?'

 _A beast, swimming in darkness._

 _Thunder crackles off its body, igniting the shadows around it._

 _The beast roars…_

Rei's eyes shot open as the blank card she had received earlier glowed from her jacket pocket. A grin grew on her face as she pulled it out and looked at it. "Heh, so is this what he meant by my will? Well, whatever!"

Rei snapped her fingers. "Here goes nothing! I overlay my Level 4 Magician Girl with my Level 4 Magician! Let's go! _Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!_ "

A dark mist enveloped the field, and when it cleared, a new dragon was in place of Rei's Spellcasters. "Now, I activate its effect! By removing an XYZ Material, I can cut a Level 5 or higher monster you control's attack!"

MCK: 2000 - 1000

"But not just that! Dark Rebellion gains those lost ATK points until the turn's end!"

Dark Rebellion: 2500 - 3500

Misako stumbled back a bit from the sheer energy emanating from the dark dragon, before regaining her composure. "So what? You can't win this turn, even with that, so still I have a chance to recover!"

Rei smirked and snapped her fingers again. "Not if I use the second material!" Misako widened her eyes in shock, not saying anything as her monster's power was drained again.

MCK: 1000 - 500

Dark Rebellion: 3500 - 4000

"And now, for the finale! Go, Dark Rebellion! Lightning Disobey!" The dragon supercharged its fang, striking Misako's Memory Crush King with one shot, launching Misako back in the ensuing explosion.

MISAKO: 2700 - 0

DUEL END

WINNER: REI

Rei offered the other girl a hand as the monsters faded. "You put up a good fight. I had no clue what I'd do once my Absolute Dragon was taken out." Misako smiled and took the outstretched hand standing up. "Please, you had me beat from the start. I never expected to win, but you exceeded any expectations I had."

Rei giggled and messed with the hem of her dress. "We~ll, I admit it was fun. Wanna have a rematch some time?" she asked, looking into the taller girl's eyes. Misako chuckled, "Of course. But first, I think I owe you lunch, don't I?" Rei's eyes lit up, and the two girls walked out of the arena together.

0_0

 **Havenia Dueling Academy, Headmaster's Office**

The headmaster sat behind his desk, on the phone with a member of the Dueling Committee.

"So you're telling me even my own daughter lost to that drifter girl? What a pathetic show of weakness… No matter. Proceed with Project L-1. We can deal with the brat later."

The headmaster hung up the phone, placing his fingertips together and mumbling to himself. "Pendulum…. With a technique like that, she could be a great nuisance to this project… Especially since she made contact with him…." He stopped for a moment, before calling someone else.

"Officer Marshall, put HDA Security on high alert. I need you to monitor this girl and make sure she isn't contacted by the boy again. Yes, thank you."

He went back to his previous position. "I will make sure you cannot stop us this time…. Itsuki…"

0_0

Following her duel, a new piece of the routine had been altered: Rei had a friend. Sure, Kyo was nice, but he was more of a manager, or even an older brother, than a friend. However, with Misako, she had truly formed a bond. The two would spend time together on weekdays after Misako got out of class, and on the weekend they would practice dueling together. There was still months before the tournament, and the two of them were determined to enter together.

Weeks passed. August became September. And one day….

0_0

Misako entered the bar, giving a quick wave to Kyo, before sliding into the booth across from Rei. "Have you heard the rumors?" Rei tilted her head with a quizzical expression on her face. "Rumors?" Misako leaned forward on the table. "Supposedly, Cyber Micah wants to challenge you again. People've been saying he's changed his deck, and that now he's even more unstoppable."

Rei cleared her throat. "Well I wouldn't exactly call him unstoppable if could beat him, right?" Misako laughed, before continuing. "That's true, but it's also true that he's built up his streak again. 30 wins since you beat him. Last time, it took him twice as long to reach that." Rei rested her hands on her chin. "Well in that case, I'll just have to bust his streak again." She flashed a smile at her friend, who smiled weakly in return.

"I just hope it'll be that easy. He keeps talking about 'proving himself', and while I don't know what that means, he seems serious about it."

Rei put her hand on her friend's arm. "Don't worry, 'Ko. I'll handle him like I did before." Her friend's confidence eased Misako's worries, albeit slightly. "Yeah, you're right," she sighed, "I just gotta believe in you, right?" Rei beamed. "Exactly! Now enough of this boring Micah talk, I think that Turbo Duelist you like is about to start a match!" Misako blushed as Rei shouted at Kyo to turn on the TV.

0_0

 **That night, Haven City, Rooftop**

"So you came," Itsuki spoke to the other man on the roof. "Yeah, I came. Look, I know said I'd help you out, but do you really have to call me out this late? I just had a big match, and I was hopin' to get some sleep." The man scratched the back of his head.

Itsuki remained silent for a moment, before saying, "They've put out a watch for me. It is only a matter of time before the entire city's police force is after me. HDA is moving ahead with L-1 and we don't have much time before they enter the next phase."

The other man blinked. "Woah, they're really movin' fast on this huh?" Itsuki nodded. "Well, alright. I ain't sure exactly what more I can do, but I'll speed up my research. Once I perfect this deck, we can move into stage two ourselves." He smiled and gave a thumbs up. "Between your Contract and my Drive, we'll be unstoppable!" Itsuki nodded again, before speaking up, "The girl has made a bond with Misako Shikigami."

The man looked shocked. "Woah, so soon? And with the headmaster's daughter, no less? Seems like you made a good choice, as usual." Itsuki shook his head. "It was not my choice. The cards led me to her. Dark Rebellion…. Burning Truth…. They called out to her…" He blinked. "She is special. The headmaster undoubtedly knows this. He'll do anything to stop her growth. You'd do well to make contact with her yourself." Itsuki began to walk off.

"Wait." He looked back at the other man.

"Is she cute?" The man grinned.

Itsuki sighed in response, and walked off.

0_0

(*)The "ancient duel disk" is, in actuality, just a battle city duel disk. Of course, in modern YuGiOh those are pretty ancient.


	3. Cyber Rebound

**Chapter 3: Cyber Rebound**

(Before this starts I'm gonna go ahead and thank Priestess of Dibella for reviewing, as well as for being my first review. I'll admit, I have been feeling a bit iffy about the character descriptions. They stemmed from me playing visual novels, which tend to have those intro cards for introducing a large cast in a short amount of time, plus as a detailed description fomy friend who agreed to draw them or me, but it feels off to put into a written format like this. I'll probably be doing away with the character intros from now on, but I think I'll keep doing Orica intros as I think it helps the new cards have a bit more presence. Anyway, thank you again, and without further ado, onto the story!)

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"Welcome, ladies and gents, to our first HDA Official Duel in quite some time! Here today we have a special guest, requested by the Headmaster himself, the seemingly unbeatable girl, not affiliated with any of Haven's duel schools! Please welcome Rei Shirogane!"

As the announce said her name, Rei bowed and waved to the crowd, a little nervous but beaming anyway.

"And on the otherside, the challenger, HDA's champ, Micah Miyamoto!"

Micah, in contrast simple raised his fist in the air and smirked.

"Today, at the request of both Cyber Micah and Headmaster Shikigami himself, we will be hosting a rematch of sorts between these two young duelists, both aiming for the top of the Haven Grand Tourney! And boy are they both going strong! Cyber Micah has technically qualified twice, just recently getting his second streak of 65 wins, while Miss Shirogane is just shy at 62! In fact, it is because of exactly that streak that this match is so important, because a loss here would drop her all the way down to zero, and with only 1 week left until the tournament... Well, let's just say her chances would be slim!"

The announcer paused for dramatic effect before clearing his throat and continuing.

"Well, contestants, let's have a nice clean match! And on your marks... Get set..."

The two teenagers locked eyes, activating their Duel Disks in unison. "DUEL!"

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 **3 Hours Earlier**

"Dear Miss Shirogane,

At the request of Headmaster Shikigami, as well as "Cyber" Micah Miyamoto, HDA would like to extend an official challenge to you for a rematch between the two duelists. Please arrive at HDA Arena 1 at noon today, September 12th.

Regards,

HDA Dueling Committee."

Rei and Misako glanced at each other.

Well, what do you think?" Rei tilted her head, a quizzical expression her face.

Misako leaned back in her booth before answering. "Clearly, Micah Miyamoto is still gunning for you. That much we knew. What troubles me is the fact that my father himself requested this duel." She leaned back onto the table and scratched her head. "He never gets involved in student affairs unless he has something to gain from it. So, judging from that, he obviously had a hand in Micah's recent power boost. My guess is he gave our favorite mecha dragons a little support, probably from some experimental cards he made."

Rei nodded. "The biggest thing I noticed was that the wording in this challenge was really different from when you issued me one." Misako raised an eyebrow at this. "Really?" She mused, "How so?"

Rei brought the message back up. "See, in yours it says 'should you choose to accept'. The way this one's worded, it almost feels like I don't have a choice." Misako gave a dry smile. "Chances are you don't. When my father gets involved, he always gets what he wants."

Rei closed her eyes, looking to be deep in thought, before grinning wide. "Well, it's not like I wanted to decline. No matter how strong he is now, I'm sure I'll just take him down like I did last time."

Misako chuckled a little in response. "I don't think there's any doubt about that."

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MICAH: 4000

REI: 4000

"Alright, I'll take the first move!" Micah cried out. "First, I'll play my Cyber Phoenix!" The mechanized bird appeared on his field with a shriek. "Then I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

Rei drew her card. "Alright, my move will be my Chocolate Magician Girl!" The blue clad spellcaster appeared with a spin. "Now I activate her effect by discarding my Kiwi Magician Girl! Draw!"

Rei looked at her new draw and smirked. "Now I play Ancient Rules! I can Special Summon one Level 5 or higher Normal Monster! And I choose my Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon!" The dragon roared defiantly.

Micah laughed with a crazed grin on his face! "I activate Cyber Dinosaur's effect from my hand! When you Special Summon a monster, I can Special Summon this one from my hand!" The robotic T-Rex stomped onto Micah's field. "Tch! Now I play 2 face-downs and end!"

Micah drew his next card. Somehow, his grin got even more crazed. "Now, I summon Cyber Dragon Core! And with this card's effect, I can add a "Cyber" Spell or Trap to my hand from the deck!" He drew another card. "I then set that card! Then, I activate Future Fusion! I can show a Fusion Monster I own, and send that card's materials to the Graveyard! I choose my newest addition, Cyber End Dragon! Three Cyber Dragons go to the Graveyard!"

Rei narrowed her eyes. 'He's pulling something weird. Is Cyber End the new card he's been using to beat so many people?'

Micah held up two fingers. "Then, in two of my turns... I can Fusion Summon that very card!" He began laughing maniacally.

Rei shrugged, shaking her head. "Just means I have to beat you before then. Considering our first duel, that shouldn't be hard." Micah growled at her. "I end my turn, brat."

Rei grinned. "Alright! Draw!" She surveyed her card, nodding. "Good, good. I offer my Chocolate Magician Girl to summon the Master of the Dark Arts, my lovely Dark Magician!" The spellcaster rose to her field, arms crossed. "His effect activates, and I Special Summon the one, the only, Odd-Eyes Magician Girl!" The red spellcaster spun and waved to the crowd. "Now for her effect!" Rei snapped her fingers. "I add a Pendulum Monster to my hand. Then, I overlay my two Level 7 monsters! Odd-Eyes Magician Girl and Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon! Frozen dragon with the different eyes, come forth and show us your grand might! XYZ Summon! Rank 7, Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon!"

The announcer shouted as the crowd cheered. "It seems Miss Shirogane has pulled out her ace monster yet again!"

"Now..." She pointed at her opponent. "Battle! Dark Magician attacks Cyber Dragon Core!"

Micah swept his hand to the side. "You've just triggered my trap! Quaking Mirror Force sends all your Attack Position monsters to face-down Defense!" Rei snapped again. "How about my Mystical Space Typhoon?" She taunted, activating her own face-down. "See ya, Mirror Force. The attack continues! Go, Dark Magic Attack!" Dark Magician pointed his staff at the Cyber Dragon, shattering it with a magical blast.

MICAH: 4000 - 2900

"Now, Absolute Dragon attacks Cyber Dinosaur! Frozen Spiral Blast!" The dino froze over before shattering.

MICAH: 2900 - 2700

"Now, I'll end my turn." Rei smirked, pleased with the displeasured look on Micah's face. "I draw. One turn left, brat. I set a face-down and end." Micah crossed his arms, glaring at her.

"Jumping to my turn won't help you! I draw! Now, I attack with my monsters!"

"Ah ah ah," Micah taunted, waving his finger. "I activate Storming Mirror Force! All of your Attack Position monsters go back to the hand! Of course, for your Absolute Dragon, that's the Extra Deck isnt it?" Rei grimaced as her monsters disappeared. "I end my turn..."

Micah crazed smile returned, this time even wider. "I draw! And now, Future Fusion brings to me my new ace! My truest Cyber Dragon. Ushering in an end to all who oppose it! Come, and bring ruin to our enemies! Fusion Summon! Level 10, Cyber End Dragon!" A massive, three headed Cyber Dragon rose to Micah's side. Rei's eyes widened as her Duel Disk displayed its attack. "4000?? If this hits... It's all over!"

"No 'if's, girlie! Go, Cyber End! Destroy her and 'End' this duel!" Cyber End Dragon opened its three mouths and blasted a beam of light from each one. Micah laughed as Rei tried to shield herself from the beams. However, as the dust from the ensuing explosion cleared, she was still standing in one piece, albeit a bit battered. "What?? That attack should have decimated you!"

Rei gave a weak smile and pointed to her newly activated face-down. " **Sacred Shield** ," she panted. "If my opponent declares a direct attack that will take all my life points, I can halve them to negate all battle damage this turn."

REI: 4000 - 2000

Micah snarled, "That's fine, I'll end this turn. No monster in your deck can defeat my Cyber End Dragon!" Rei chuckled and drew her next card. "Maybe not in my Main Deck, but let's see what else I have in store!"

She gave a light grin and stood up straight. "Here's where the fun starts! I activate The Tricky's effect! I'll discard my beloved Dark Magician to Special Summon The Tricky to the field!" A caped jester-like creature with a question mark on both its face and chest appeared on her field and bowed to the crowd. "And now I'll just summon my Timegazer Magician normally." The clock-themed spellcaster rose to her field.

Micah laughed as she summoned. "Neither of those monsters is anywhere powerful enough to destroy my dragon." She smirked in return. "I don't need them to! After all, I already said I didn't think my Main Deck could. But with this..." She snapped her fingers yet again, pointing in the air with the same hand. "This will do it! I play Harmonic Waves! Using this, any two monsters on the field can become the same level, provided it is within their respective levels(*)! Between 5 and 3 is 4, so 4 it is!" The two spellcasters glowed as their levels change. "And now, with two level 4 monsters..."

Micah's eyes grew wide with shock. "N-No way." He remembered what he had heard from the Dueling Committee about Rei's defeat of Misako Shikigami. How they said she used a terrifying Rank 4 monster to do it.

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From the stands, Misako smiled at her friend. 'This should be a fun battle to see.'

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"Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" The dark dragon rose to her field with a roar, purple lightning crackling around it. "Now, how about we see who is stronger, my dragon or yours! Go, Dark Rebellion's effect! Using one Overlay Unit, a Level 5 monster loses half its ATK!"

CED: 4000 - 2000

"And Dark Rebellion gains that lost ATK!"

Dark Rebellion: 2500 - 4500

"And again!"

CED: 2000 - 1000

Dark Rebellion: 4500 - 5500

Micah backed away from the beast looming before him, his massive mechanical monster suddenly paling in comparison. 'T-That's 4500 points ahead! How is this fair?'

Rei smirked at his frightened expression. "So much for your new ace, eh? Go, Dark Rebellion, attack! Lightning Disobey!" Dark Rebellion's mandible glowed purple as the dragon slammed it into Cyber End, destroying the machine.

MICAH: 2700 - 0

DUEL END

WINNER: REI

Micah fell to his knees, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. "M-My monsters..." The girl crouched down next to him and said, "Pride before the fall, eh?" before standing back up and waving to the crowd, a huge smile present on her face.

Micah could only stare at her in awe and shock.

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 **HDA, Headmaster's Office**

"The boy has failed again," the Headmaster spat into the phone. "Move on to the next candidate and prepare for the tournament. I fully expect Itsuki to enter, either in person or through a proxy, using whatever new material he's been developing all these years. So we must counter in turn."

"Yes sir!" the voice on the phone said, before hanging up. The Headmaster turned to the footage playing on his screen, scowling at the grinning face of the drifter brat, and at the awed face of his prized student, staring at her like she was some powerful being. "I suppose he was a mistake after all." He shut off the screen and placed his fingers together, arms resting on the desk.

A voice spoke, in the darkness of the room. "Shall I... take care of the girl?"

The Headmaster narrowrd his eyes slightly, before looking at the person and relaxing. "Ah, it's just you. Hmmm. Do as you please, I do not intend to order you around. The cards you've gifted us were valuable resources, despite being misused by that child."

The shadowed figure gave a dark chuckle. "Very well. Consider your little problem handled."

The Headmaster smiled and chuckled as well, as the dark figure vanished from the room. "Soon...

"Soon nothing will stop HDA's ambition."

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(*) I know that this isn't Harmonic Waves's official effect. However, I claim i have the right to alter card effects if the narrative demands. If the anime does it so can I, damnit!


	4. Author's Note

It's been a while since I updated this story, and to be honest, I've had a hard time figuring out how to take things where I want them to in this story. Over the last few weeks, I've been trying to write the next chapters with limited success. It's as though my drive to write this story is being sapped the more I try to. It's because of this that I have to apologize to anyone who liked these first few chapters, and to say that for now, this story will be on hiatus.

Now, that's not to say I'm just gonna stop writing. I've got another story in the works that I'll be starting the first few chapters of as soon as this update is published. While it won't be a completely original cast and setting like this one, it will feature many original characters as well as an original plotline, although a lot of the setting and cast will be taken from canon. If you enjoyed these few short chapters, I hope you'll take the time to read my new project whenever it is published.

Thanks for reading, and for now, Haven City bids farewell.

~Crow


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